Texas Tornadoes Come on FAST!

Dallas Tornado WeatherLast night seemed like any other normal quiet evening. Well, up until the tornado sirens started going off throughout the city!

Below is a simple little video I threw together illustrating the speed with which Tornadoes pop up in Texas. Luckily, in Frisco we have an early warning system to notify people when a serious storm is approaching. This system is truly a lifesaver, and if you ever hear it going off it’s time to get the heck inside a building!

Well, I was at home last night when that sucker started going off! And within a few minutes I began recording the clips that are assembled here. Now, there is no dramatic tornado footage, but once you understand the speed with which they appear, destroy and leave, you can understand what makes them so dangerous.

And if you didn’t have the early warning sirens, just imagine getting caught outside in this while jogging or walking the dog. You’ve got a real problem!
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The Sun Sets on Chicago O’Hare Airport

While traveling to Chicago a while back I was in the airport with a buddy when he spotted the evening sun absolutely reflecting off the downtown skyscrapers. I barely had time to grab the camera and get a couple of shots before it went away. It was a very fleeting, yet powerfully captivating image.

You really need to click through to view a larger version of this in order to see the reflection. Have you ever seen anything like it?

Sun Setting on Chicago

“Condition 1″ Antarctic Weather

antartic-weatherIt’s getting kind of hot here in Texas. Like it’s nearly 100 degrees already. So even though we’re used to the heat, we’ll all be whining about how hot is is really soon. And really, that’s fair. I mean people do occasionally die from heat exhaustion.

Then again, if you compare Texas heat to Antartic cold… we’ll, they’ve got us completely whipped! Here. See what I mean…
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WordCamp Dallas 2009 is Three Weeks Away! Spread the Word!

wordcamp-dallas-2009Wow, we’re only 3 weeks from WordCamp Dallas, and we’ve still got plenty of seats left, but I have a feeling they are going to go fast. So you seriously need to get registered before we fill up! What is WordCamp Dallas?

john-p-speaking-at-wordcampWell, it’s basically a “free” ($30 pays for the T-shirt and meals) blogging convention that is organized by users of the wildly popular WordPress blogging platform. And it’s a one and a half day weekend event that will teach you more about blogging than you will learn on your own in a year. I guarantee it.

Don’t believe me? Fine! Check out the roughly 75 WordCamp videos I’ve already filmed and posted for you guys and you’ll see what I mean! Of course, there is also my lecture from last year on 45 Ways to Power Up Your Blog, and here is the video.

working-at-wordcampWhy would you want to start a blog of your own? Hmmm… well, to participate in a community of interest? To establish a reputation as an expert? To open doors for job opportunities? To earn money from your blogging efforts?

Heck, this blog generates $1,500-2,500 per month in ad revenue and I don’t even try (remember, I donate it to charity)!

matt-mullenweg-at-wordcampNow, we’ve got an all star line up of speakers – each of which has generously volunteered their time and energy to make this event what it is. You’ll hear from some online titans on topics that will be immediately actionable after the conference.

But more importantly, you’ll meet hundreds of fellow bloggers with whom you can swap tips and build relationships that will last for years. And you’ll have free and unfettered access to people who can, and will, help you with anything related to your blogging efforts.
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Why Your Cable TV Signal is Crap!

This is a photo I snapped of a cable TV box at an apartment building in Dallas. The door was just hanging open and this is what was inside. I’m amazed that anyone can get any sort of a signal whatsoever!

Why Your Cable TV Reception Sucks

Add AVI Movie / Video Drivers to Your Mac with Perian

If you ever try to play certain movies on your Mac without having the correct driver installed, you are going to get nothing more than a black screen. No fear! Perian is here to save you! Just download and install this little applet which adds itself to your System Preferences menu, and you can watch all those movies you weren’t previously able to view.

perian

If that alone doesn’t do it for you, it’s possible you need to install the DivX codec and maybe even the XviD codec. If anyone knows of other drivers that help play media on the Mac, please drop a link in the comments!

More Photos of the San Francisco Bay Bridge

When I was in San Francisco for WordCamp this weekend Dave Curley and I went across the street from our hotel and snapped a few photos of the Bay Bridge. Thought I’d share a couple new ones to go along with the ones I posted previously. I hope you enjoy!

This first image was taken with a Canon 5D Mark II using a 28-135mm IS lens set at 30mm. ISO was 100 with an aperture of f/3.5 and an exposure of 15 seconds.

san-francisco-bay-bridge-at-night-2
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What $20,000 in Cash Looks Like

There is actually no reason whatsoever for this completely random post. Except that I thought I’d point out what a very small stack $20,000 worth of $100 bills looks like.

$20,000 Cash

Seems like it should be a lot bigger stack, doesn’t it?

iPhone Get’s Punk’d at the Cell Phone Reunion

Cell Phone ReunionYeah, I got an iPhone a while back. Then I got one for my wife, talked my brother into getting one for himself and his wife, and have basically continued to propegate the spread of this piece of technology. And you know what? iPhone is getting a little too cocky!

Luckily, the boys over at College Humor were around when the other cell phones decided to get together and show the old iPhone exactly whose boss!
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